The Bride of the Water God Episodes 11 & 12 Review: Is This Love?

by CiCi Kdrama on Mon, Aug 14, 2017

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What can you do when the gods and humans alike mistake noble idiocy for love? Join Amy, Janet, and me, Cici, as we discuss the ins and outs of friendship, love, and bad advice in episodes 11 and 12 of The Bride of the Water God!

Cici: Poor Hoo Ye. He just can’t catch a break. Just when it looks like he may be able to get closer to the one human who might actually understand him, he’s given terrible advice that lands him in the friend zone. Forever. Which just goes to show that the gods really have no clue about love. I’m fairly certain that was not Moo Ra’s intention!

Janet: I’m starting to get some mixed emotions about Moo Ra. Just when you love to hate her, she does something that seems nice. I know she wants Habaek to go home, but she feels sorry about what it took to get him there. I think she just wants So Ah out of the way, which is why she is trying to get Hoo Ye interested.

Amy: I think that Moo Ra doesn’t want to watch Habaek go through what he did in the past again. In her eyes, the only way to prevent that is to separate Habaek and So Ah because Moo Ra doesn’t trust humans. In her eyes, it would help if So Ah has someone else to lean on. Of course, you can’t really make yourself feel something that isn’t already there so Hoo Ye is going to stay in the friend zone. I really hope the gods don’t push him too much because he is trying very hard to be a good guy.

Cici: And just when he decides he wants to be So Ah's friend, Moo Ra turns around and tells him to steal her heart away from Habaek and marry her. Make up you mind, woman...er, goddess!

Janet: I don’t think that Moo Ra is thinking about So Ah at all - I think that she feels that Habaek would see it as a betrayal if she is interested in anyone, EVER! She is just making sure Habaek won’t want to return to the human realm.

Cici: While it’s true that Habaek is definitely the jealous type, Moo Ra is going about getting him to leave So Ah completely wrong. He’s like a child when it comes to his emotions. Do you tell a child that they can’t have something they think they desperately want, and expect them to give up? Even worse, do you tell a child that someone else is going to get that very thing (or person), instead? Hmmm….I’ve never seen that work, lol.

Amy: Right. It wouldn’t even work with me. Ha ha! I’m not sure how experienced So Ah is at being in love, either. She realized her feelings before Habaek but it took both of them a while. So we have these two who are not so good at relationships with feelings for one another and a whole bunch of other complications too. Their relationship is not an easy one.

Cici: I may have just been a little too harsh with Habaek. He really has matured quite a lot in his time on earth. And he decided to go back where he belongs at the sacrifice of what he really wants.

Cici: It was heartbreaking when he was giving So Ah instructions for the rest of her life, just prior to leaving. He had to work so hard to seem impersonal when everything he told her was related to experiences they had shared, and things he had done for her. And it was just as heartbreaking the way she had to pretend that she wanted him to leave, even when she knew that he knew that she was lying.

Janet: Somehow, I think this is all a “test” as much as retrieving the Gods Stones. I think he needed the emotional growth as part of his role in becoming King of the Water Country. It’s hard to rule when you have no understanding of your subjects.

Amy: I agree. He needed to grow up and living amongst humans with all of their problems is a good way to do that. Speaking of growing up, I think that the dynamic between Ja Ya and Hoo Ye’s assistant is getting funnier. It’s like he is helping her mature while having a crush on her. Maybe he is waiting until he thinks she is ready for a relationship to make a move?

Cici: I laughed so hard when Secretary Min insisted that she call him “oppa,” I had to run put on my oppa shirt! That looked like he was taking the first step to move from the advice-giving older friend to something more personal. I’m not hating Ja Ya quite so much, so I guess if he thinks he can deal with her shenanigans, I’m all right with that.

Janet: You are a better person than I am - I’m not forgiving her yet. She and her grandfather deserve each other! Grandfather is only interested in money. And while she wants money, too, she also wants to make So Ah’s life a living nightmare. She is the one who forced the eviction of the Clinic. Sorry, no mature points for her!

Cici: Oops, I forgot about that. OK, I take back everything I just said about it being all right for Secretary Min to have anything to do with her. I doubt even he could turn her into a decent human being. But I am wondering about Habaek and his past relationship with So Ah’s ancestor. Moo Ra told So Ah that he was devastated after Nak Bin’s death. But So Ah wanted to know why he didn’t do anything to save her. Do you think that’s true? If so, I could definitely see where the ruling gods would want to give him another chance at love, and see if he can get it right this time.

Amy: I’m not sure if Habaek didn’t do anything to try to save her or not. I could see why he wouldn’t (fear of the consequences) but at the same time it doesn’t seem like he would just stand by and let it happen. That could be because her death changed him. I’m having a hard time understanding how the gods experience love when it seems like it is something that is not common in their realm.

Janet: First of all, we all know Moo Ra has her own agenda, so while there may be some truth in the story she presented, who’s to say it was the whole truth? But, I have another question I need to have answered . . . Why does Habaek go from a kid to a man during the flashback sequence (more than once)?! Am I missing something?

Amy: I don’t know what that was about either and I don’t think they covered it. This show leaves me with all sorts of questions but we only have a couple of weeks left so I hope they get answered!

Cici: That had me really confused as well. I had to do a little research online, and apparently part of the Sky God’s curse was that Habaek would appear as a child in daylight, but as an adult after dark. I suppose it was supposed to make it more difficult for him to be taken seriously as a ruler, but the curse was broken when Nak Bin died. It sure would have been nice if the writers had made that all more clear!

What I’m not confused about is that ending. I was so relieved when Habaek returned from the realm of the gods, even if it is only going to be temporary. His reasoning--that he wanted to be able to love So Ah without regrets--leads me to believe that he has finally matured into the type of god who is able to weigh possible consequences and then go for what he feels is right. Maybe there are second chances, even for a god.

COMING SOON

The Bride of the Water God (Habaek)

What do you think? Will Hoo Ye be satisfied to remain as So Ah’s friend? Has Habaek learned the true meaning of love? And will he be able to love So Ah so that neither of them will have any regrets? Share your thoughts in the comments below!